Oscar Pareja joins FC Dallas

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. (Friday, January 10, 2014) – The Colorado Rapids have received a first round 2015 MLS SuperDraft pick, allocation money, and a contract buyout from FC Dallas as compensation for Oscar Pareja, who departs Colorado to take the head coaching position with his former club. The Rapids will immediately begin their search for the club’s next head coach.

“The compensation we’ve received for Dallas will help us this season and beyond, and we are eager to find the right candidate to take our head coaching position,” said Rapids President Tim Hinchey. “With a youthful squad that is primed to succeed for several years down the line, this is an attractive coaching job with a solid structure already in place. We want to credit Oscar for his role in helping develop our team in the last two years, and we wish him and his family the best in Dallas.”

“I would like to thank the Rapids and KSE for this opportunity here in Colorado,” said Pareja. “It was a difficult decision to leave the Rapids but the team is in good hands with Tim Hinchey, Paul Bravo, and all the staff. My family and I would like to give a special thanks to all the players and the fans for the good memories we will have from our two years in Colorado.”

The Rapids will now hold the second of FC Dallas’ first round MLS SuperDraft selections in 2015, which is currently Colorado’s only pick in the first round, having acquired Danny Mwanga from Portland for the Rapids’ natural selection. The club also added allocation money from Dallas, which can be used in signing players or buying down players’ salary cap numbers.

Pareja spent two seasons at the Rapids, compiling a regular season record of 25-30-13 (W-L-T) and helping the club reach the postseason in 2013 after finishing 5th in the Western Conference. A native of Medellín, Colombia, Pareja spent the final eight seasons of his playing career at FC Dallas before joining the coaching staff in 2006, where he was before joining Colorado.

The Rapids hold the 11th overall selection in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft, to take place on January 16 in Philadelphia, and the Rapids will open preseason in late January. The Rapids season starts on March 15 at New York Red Bulls, with the Home Opener at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park against the Portland Timbers on March 22. For more information on the club, or to purchase season tickets, visit www.ColoradoRapids.com or call 303-825-GOAL.